1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to refrigerated food and drink storage units, and in particular, to the user interface and operational control thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Refrigerators and coolers for the cold storage of food and beverages are well known and can come in full-size standup units or compact, under-counter units. Modern units typically have electronic controls for setting and regulating interior temperatures as well as for controlling ancillary features such as lighting, ice making and system monitoring functions.
Such controls are typically mounted inside the cabinet at a location attempting to make the user interface (control buttons, displays, etc.) readily accessible and visible to the consumer. However, it is often the case that the control interface is not user-friendly for the consumer.
One problem with such controls is that the user interface typically has very few input controls. This can be due to the need to keep the control physically small in size or to a small profile or footprint so as not to occupy significant space in the cooling compartment, especially true for compact, under-counter units. It can also be to present a clean interface with simple controls that is designed to reduce consumer confusion in operating the control.
Regardless of the reason, the down side of the control having limited input controls is that the user consequently has less control over the operation of the cooling unit. Operational control beyond the basic power on and temperature settings is thus largely unavailable in conventional cooling units.
This is especially problematic when servicing the cooling unit because the limited control and operational feedback of the unit make diagnosing the source of a problem difficult. Without adequate control of settings and sub-systems of the system the service technician may not be able to adequately isolate the failed component or system. The lack of historical operational feedback of systems of the unit further frustrate diagnostic efforts.
Accordingly, a control user interface for a cooling unit having expanded input control and diagnostic features is needed.